S06 AF Sept Oct 2020 Crops 2 Farmer interview_Layout 1 21/09/2020 16:13 Page 20
CROPS
The story of a woman farmer who has created a thriving farming business, despite the challenges of limited access to funding and opportunities.
Path to self-empowerment
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N TAUNG, THE North West Province of South Africa , the ESD programme of Tiger Brands, with investments of R4.5 million in its Enterprise and Supplier Development has helped the farming collective known as the Baphuduhucwana Production Incubator scale its harvests to meet the demands of big business, by building up skills, assisting with equipment finance, and securing large orders of wheat and white beans. Kedidimetse Radebe, who returned to farming late in her life, gained new knowledge through weekly training on crop cultivation according to grain type and seasonality, even winning an entrepreneurship award in her district in 2018. Through various funding and training interventions provided by Tiger Brands and its partners, she is among a growing list of women farmers in the BPI collective. “The programme has helped me have more focus and I know what I want to achieve with the different seasons and how to achieve them, overcome challenges and do better the next planting season. “
“Farming isn’t easy, but it’s very satisfying,” she added. “Every morning I am up at 5 am, checking my farm for wandering animals and ensuring that the sprinklers aren’t burst or blocked. When my farmhands arrive, we begin moving sprinklers around the farm to ensure even water distribution.” “The best skill I have learnt is time management, which is very important in farming. Project management and how to handle finances is also another skill that I have learnt through the courses that Tiger Brands has sent me to. If you do not treat the seasons like a project with clear outcomes then you will not achieve the required yield as a farmer. Most importantly, I have learnt how to prepare the soil for farming to ensure the best quality of wheat, as well as to plant properly.” “I am grateful that during these
20 African Farming - September/October 2020
Image Credit: Razor , M&C Saatchi
“If you do not treat the seasons like a project with clear outcomes then you will not achieve the required yield as a farmer,” Kedidimetse Radebe said. Kedidimetse Radebe, who returned to farming late in her life has learned a lot from it.
challenging times of COVID-19, I do not have to worry about unemployment and was not in any way negatively impacted by the lockdown, “ she added. Radebe’s advice to other women farmers is, “The power is in your hands to turn your life around. No one is going to do it for you. If you want something done right, you have to be willing to do it yourself.” Since returning to Taung, Kedidimetse has learned a lot and done a lot. She likens her crops to her own children, demanding care and attention but offering an abundant harvest in return.
Tiger Brands ESD Tiger Brands Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme, focuses on developing African farmers to be at the heart of the supply chain, to progress the economic transformation of the country through targeted initiatives. The Smallholder Farmer Development Programme, for instance, designed to create access for women farmers to actively participate in the supply chain through technical support and guaranteed offtake agreements has created 412 jobs from mainly rural communities. h
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